Machine for dampening sheets.



PATENTBD OCT. 10, 1905.

A. B. SHERWOOD.

MACHINE FOR DAMPBNING SHEETS.

APPLICATION II LED MAY 25, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 801,552. PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905. A. B. SHERWOOD.

MACHINE FOR DAMPENING SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H man No. 801,552. PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905.

v A. B. SHERWOOD.

.MAGHINE FOR DAMPENING SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1904 3 SHEETS-SHEBT 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER B. SHERW'OOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FUCHS & LANG MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR DAIVIPENING SHEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

1'0 all zv/m'nt it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER B. SHER- wooD, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Dampening Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

The sheets of paper heretofore employed in lithographing or printing commercial work were passed bodily through a fountain containing water, after which the surplus moisture had to be removed therefrom by drying. This method has been found to moisten the sheets to too great an extent, prevents the uniform dampening of the same, and necessitates the dry pressing of the wavy sheets in order to flatten them out after printing.

The object of this invention is to supply to lithographers, printers, and others a machine for dampening the sheets of paper in a uniform and reliable manner with a degree of moisture sutlicient for bringing them into the best possible condition for printing and permitting the direct use of the sheets after they have been dampened without requiring the removal of any surplus moisture from the same.

For this purpose the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts, which will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine for dampening sheets. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same, taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and A are respectively a side elevation of the dampening mechanism, drawn on a larger scale, and a vertical longitudinal section of the same; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail elevation showing one of the scrapers which engage the end portions only of the transmitting-roll.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the main frame of my improved machine for dampening sheets. To the upper part of the main frame is attached an auxiliary frame A, provided at both sides with standards A that are located vertically over the middle portion of the main frame, and end standards a, which are connected by slightly-inclined portions a with the standards A, so as to support the table from which the sheets to be moistened are fed to the machine. It is obvious, however, that the frame may be made in one integral structure. The table B is composed of a stationary section b and two folding sections 6 b the section 5 being connected by a hinge-joint I) at its under side with the section I) and the section I) by an upper hingejoint 6 with the stationary section 5, so that the sections may be folded up for shipment or when not required for use. To the end of the section b is applied a sheet-metal plate 6, which is countersunk into the section and extends beyond the same into proximity with the contact-point of two dampening-rolls C C.

The shaft of the upper dampening-roll C is supported in 'journal-bearings 7), adjustable by means of screw-spindles K, helical springs being interposed between the bearings and the upper end of the standards A as shown in Fig. 3, while the shaft of the lower dampening-roll C is supported in stationary bearings I) of the standards A Below the lower dampening-roll C is arranged a moisturetransmitting roll C journalcd in adjustable bearings 7) and rotated in contact with two moisture supplying rolls D, the shafts of which are supported in suitable bearings (Z, carried by horizontal yokes D, which are attached at their middle portion to the upright standards A, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the bearings of said moisture-supplying rolls being capable of adjustment by means of setscrews (Z,engaging sockets on said bearings, so as to adjust the pressure of the moisture-supplying rolls D on the intermediate transmitting-roll D as required for the proper transmission of the moisture from a fountain F, which is supported between the standards A on abottom board F,restingonsupportingshoulders or ledges f of the standards A as shown clearly in Figs. 9. and 4E.

The journal-bearings of the shaft of the transmitting-roll U are adjustable by means of screw-spindles X, so as to be set higher or lower in the standards A and in proper contact with the lower dampening-roll C.

At the end of the main frame A opposite to the supporting-frame A are arranged upright standards A", which are about equal in height to the inner end of the feed-table B. The standards A serve for supporting the guide-rollers over which tapes or stringsGr are stretched, said tapes or strings Gr passing over the dampening-rolls C C and the guiderollers the latter being of smaller diameter than the dampening-rolls, so that bights between the tapes or strings G gradually decrease in size as they pass away from the dampening-rolls C C, and the distance between the two bights gradually increases. These tapes or strings serve for conducting the moistened sheet onto a delivery-table B, that is supported in horizontal position by means of braces B which are hinged to the under side of the table B and supported by their forked lower ends y on a transverse rod 1' of the main frame, as shown in Fig. l. The inner end of the table B is hinged at I) to the standard A and may be dropped on the release of the braces 13 into vertical position alongside of the end of the main frame A, so as to take up less room when the machine is packed for shipment or when the same is not in use.

One of the moisture-applying rolls D and the transmitting-roll C are provided with scrapers E, carried byspindles X, journaled in horizontally-projectinglugs e of the standards A as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, said scrapers serving for uniformly distributing the moisture transmitted from the roll D to the transmitting-roll C and from the latter to the lower dampening roll The scrapers E are pressed, by means of springs t, against the rolls D and O as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so as to increase the efliciency of the scraping action. The lower scraper extends across the entire width of the moistening-roll D, while the upper scraper extends only over the ends of the transmitting-roll C as shown in Fig. 5, so as to remove the surplus moisture from the roll at both sides of the sheet and protect thereby the edges of the sheets to be dampened from an oversupply of moisture. These scrapers E are preferably made in sections,"

so that the end sections can be placed in use while the intermediate sections are removed, or all the sections can be arranged in contact with the transmitting-roll D, as desired.

Motion is transmitted to the machine from a driving-shaft S, which is supported in bearings of a bracket arm A and of the adjacent standard A the driving-shaft being provided with the usual fast and loose pulleys P P and a belt-shifting device H, said belt-shifting device being operated by a rod h, guided in ears h of the main frame and provided with a handle if at the opposite end, so that the belt can be readily transferred from the loose to the fast pulley, and vice versa, whenever the machine is to be set to motion or stopped. Motion is transmitted from the driving-shaft S by suitable transmitting-gears to the intermediate transmitting-roll C and the dampening-rolls C O, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, while the moisture-supplying rolls are rotated by frictional contact with the transmitting-roll C The transmitting-roll C and the dampening-rolls C and G are covered by felt-cloth or other moisture-absorbing fabric, so that the uniform degree of moisture is supplied to the sheets passed through between the dampening-rolls, so that they are ready for immediate use in a lithographic or other printing press. On the driving-shaft S is placed a sleeve c', which carries a smaller and a larger pinion a" 2' said sleeve being capable of being shifted on the driving-shaft S, so that the pinion 2' is either placed in line with gearwheel on the shaft of the transmitting-roll or the pinion a" in line with an auxiliary gear 2' on the shaft of the transmitting-roll C so that two different speeds can be imparted by the gears to the transmitting and dampening rolls, according to the degree of moisture to be transmitted to the sheets by the dampening-rolls. 7

My improved machine for dampening sheets for commercial lithographing and printing work has the advantage that the sheets can be dampened with the required degree of moisture without being passed bodily through a fountain, so as to be ready for use in the press in a much less time than when the sheets are passed through a fountain. Further, the sheets are moistened uniformly, so as to be ready for printing without requiring the draining off of the surplus water, whereby considerable time is saved and more satisfactory work produced.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a machine for dampening sheets, cooperating dampening-rolls, a transmitting-roll, oppositely-disposed supplying-rolls rotatable in contact with the latter, scrapers engaging and extending throughout the length of one of said supplying-rolls, and scrapers engagingl the end portions only of said transmittingro 2. In a machine for dampening sheets, cooperating dampening-rolls, a transmitting-roll, supplying-rolls rotatable in contact with the latter, a set of scrapers engaging and extending throughout the length of one of said supplying-rolls, and a second set engaging the end portions only of said transmitting-roll, the scrapers in said sets being oppositely disposed.

8. In a machine for dampening sheets, the combination, with the dampening-rolls and the transmitting-roll, of oppositely-disposed supplying-rolls rotatable in contact with the latter, depending scrapers engaging and extending throughout the length of one of said supplying-rolls, and upwardly-extendin g scrapers disposed at the opposite side of said transmitting-roll and engaging the end portions only thereof.

4. In a machine for dampening sheets,asuit able support, cooperating dampening-rolls and a transmitting-roll rotatable in said sup- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presl0 ence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALEXANDER B. SHERlVOOD.

Witnesses:

S. M. SPIZZIRRI, V. IoVINo. 

